Oceanwide Expeditions

Oceanwide Expeditions is a Dutch company specializing in expedition-style voyages to Antarctica and the Arctic. Deploying its own fleet of ice-strengthened vessels, Oceanwide emphasizes small-scale, flexible tours that provide passengers close contact with polar wildlife, landscapes, and historical sites. Tours usually take place in regions only accessible by sea, with little to no infrastructure. The locations visited are first reached by ship, after which expedition guides take small groups of passengers to landing sites by way of Zodiac Milpro RIBs (rigid inflatable boats), enabling safe cruising and maximum shore time.

History
Starting in 1983, the Dutch “Plancius Foundation” was the first operator to organize yearly polar expedition cruises to the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Oceanwide Expeditions continued with the activities of the Plancius Foundation in 1993.

The origin of the Plancius Foundation started with the Arctic Centre at the University of Groningen, which launched a research program investigating 17th-century Dutch whaling around Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard chain. With Arctic archaeology professor Louwrens Hacquebord leading the initiative, the ship Pollox was purchased in 1979 and renamed Plancius to accommodate research around the Dutch settlement of Smeerenburg.

Along with the scientists on board were tourists who had paid for their Arctic journey, and their contributions formed part of the later financial support for the Svalbard expeditions. Eventually, however, funding troubles overtook the Plancius Foundation and the ship was sold.

Awards and recognitions

 * Five-time winner of World's Leading Polar Expedition Operator Award
 * Geo Saison's Best Activity Provider Award at the 2013 ITB Berlin Goldene Palme Awards
 * Outside Magazine's first Active Travel Award winner in 2012
 * Two-time winner of Puffin Award by AECO

Partnerships
Oceanwide Expeditions works closely with organizations that support the preservation of natural habitats and sustainable environmental conditions. In the Arctic, these entities include the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and Clean Up Svalbard. In Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) and BirdLife International are two organizations with whom Oceanwide works.

Fleet
Oceanwide Expeditions currently operates five vessels of various nautical classes: sailing vessel S/V Rembrandt van Rijn, former Royal Dutch Navy oceanographic research vessel MV Plancius, former Russian Academy of Science vessel MV Ortelius, and Polar Class 6 vessels m/v Hondius and m/v Janssonius. All vessels are equipped with Zodiac Milpro RIBs for ship-to-shore landings, while Ortelius is also outfitted with a helipad for helicopter flights in the Weddell and Ross seas.

Arctic region

 * Bear Island
 * Greenland
 * Spitsbergen
 * Jan Mayen
 * Fair Isle
 * North Norway

Antarctic region

 * Bouvet Island
 * Cape Verde
 * South Orkney Islands
 * South Sandwich Islands
 * Antarctic Peninsula
 * South Shetland Islands
 * Ross Sea
 * Ushuaia
 * Weddell Sea
 * Falkland Islands
 * South Georgia
 * Ascension Island
 * St. Helena
 * Tristan da Cunha

The ideal time of year to visit the Arctic is around the Northern Hemisphere summer, from April through September. The Southern Hemisphere summer, from October through March, is the best time to visit Antarctica.